Transition Year girls from Loreto Secondary School, Balbriggan, Co Dublin were announced as winners of the 52nd BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, which took place this week in the RDS in Dublin.

Maria Louise Fufezan (16) and Diana Bura (15) have taken home the top prize for their project entitled "An Investigation into the Effects of Enzymes used in Animal Feed Additives on the Lifespan of Caenorhabditis Elegans".

The group entered in the intermediate section of the biological and ecological sciences category.

Maria and Diana were presented with a cheque for €5,000, the opportunity to represent Ireland at the 28th European Union Young Scientist competition in Brussels later this year and the BTYSTE perpetual trophy.

Speaking about the winning entry, category judge Professor Grace McCormack commented: “These students have asked a novel question – could there be any effects of enzymes added to animal feed on worms of importance for soil fertility? The girls provide new evidence that there may be an unexpected detrimental change in behaviour and lifespan of these essential worms. The work is important for the environment and the food industry and will undoubtedly lead to further research in this important area.”

Almost 1,200 students from across the island of Ireland covering 550 projects from 29 counties competed in the RDS for the coveted title of BT Young Scientist(s) & Technologist(s) of the Year.

Read about some of the other agricultural related projects in the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2016 here.

If you are interested in a career in the agri-industry, come along to the Irish Farmers Journal’s Agri Careers Fair, which takes place in the RDS on 3 March 2015. For more information, click here.